The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown restricted the ability of consumers to interact and purchase their desired cars in dealerships.
To overcome this issue, Audi introduced an online reservation tool. In partnership with PHD, the tool was launched through an omnichannel strategy allowing consumers to have ease of access to their new car purchase.
“This new online sales platform allowed PHD to demonstrate to Audi the effectiveness of thinking beyond a standard media strategy. Our creative thinking combined with our strong digital capabilities enabled us to quickly pivot from offline to online, resulting in a successful multifaceted approach,” said Mani Marimuthu, Digital Director at PHD.
Audi and PHD, along with Omnicom’s specialist agencies Resolution, Annalect, OMGP and Adylic, together created an integrated digital communications solution to not only educate consumers, but also to raise awareness and discoverability of the new platform.
This involved a multi-layered approach including the development of a specific learning agenda for Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO), which identified the most relevant channels and audiences to create bespoke messaging against; an integrated SEM & SEO to drive better search visibility and attract users to the Audi website; a multitude of complex tests and learning programs including Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), to improve the visibility of the online sales platform hosted on the website and facilitate the user journey improving the conversion rate on-site.
“Despite COVID-19, many of our customers were ready to buy an Audi, but they were not prepared to venture into a dealership due to the lockdown,” said Nikki Warburton, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Audi Australia.
“So, we had to react and fast-track our online capabilities to ensure we could still transact with our customers. The next step was to let our customers know what we’d created for them, and this is where our dynamic media strategy came into effect. We had to talk to customers where they wanted to find us … which was inside their own homes,” said Warburton.
The online sales platform provides Audi customers with a convenient and seamless process to secure their new car by placing an online deposit (reservation fee) from the comfort of their own home.
Credits:
- Media agency: PHD
- Advertiser: Audi
- Other: Resolution Media, Adylic
- Digital and CX Agency: 303MullenLowe
